Star Wars Half Marathon Weekend ** Check-In ** January 15-18, 2015

[Belle Ella]

The lines were crazy for photo ops. I'm glad my friend didn't want to stop for any because I would have gone stir crazy, lol. I figure we won't stop for any character photos tomorrow either. Just a couple of selfies here and there but that's it.

I hope everyone has had a great weekend so far and gets enough rest for tomorrow!

 

[Eclectic Goddess]

The Boba Fett line was easily the longest photo op line I have ever seen. Thankfully, neither of us wanted photos.

We had a lot of fun during the race. I really liked looping in and out of backstage areas. We didn't set a personal best, but DF is running the Half tomorrow, so she wanted to save something for it.

Luckily, our corral is directly outside Paradise Pier, so it took us less than 5 minutes to walk down there from our room. Tomorrow, after I see her off the start line, I'll be able to go back to our room pretty easily before running back out to see her along the course.

 

[Dis_Yoda]

The Darth Vadar line was the longest one I saw as it circled around Space Mountain's entrance

 

[junmatno]

Someone said they are taking pictures of people doing the Rebel Challenge?? Any info on this, curious as I'm doing pixiedust during TBH weekend.

 

[bumbershoot]

Someone said they are taking pictures of people doing the Rebel Challenge?? Any info on this, curious as I'm doing pixiedust during TBH weekend.

They now compare pictures to faces with the challenges. It's instead of having wristbands.

 

[ryleeranger]

This weekend has been amazing!! Our first disney run and it has been perfect. I did 10k yesterday and my kids participated in the 200m and 400m. My husband is doing the half as I type this and I am sitting on the 5th floor of the DLH watching the runners go by. Hope everyone had a good time! We will definitely do this again.

 

[Belle Ella]

I didn't pay attention, but whatever the line was for in front of Star Tours this morning was pretty crazy. Maybe it was Vader? But that line had switchbacks and everything - it was almost like the line for the attraction itself!!

I kind of feel like a bad friend. This was my friends first half ever (and she added the 10K to boot for the Rebel Challenge) and she asked me to run with her. I made it until mile 8 after she was having some troubles breathing and decided to walk the rest of it (we had been walking since mile 6) but it was far too cold for me to not run so she practically yelled at me to go off on my own which I did in the end. But I still feel bad about it. But we both finished and I'm so proud of her for tackling this weekend.

I'll probably post more of my feedback from the weekend later, but all in all it's been good! So glad I'm staying onsite until Tuesday though. I am not ready to go back to the 'real world'.

 

[Sherry E]

I wasn't sure if anyone would be interested, but this is from Disneyland News:

"Arciniaga Conquers the Galaxy with First-Ever Star Wars Half Marathon Weekend Victory at Disneyland Resort" -- Disneyland News; January 18, 2015

 

[bumbershoot]

I kind of feel like a bad friend. This was my friends first half ever (and she added the 10K to boot for the Rebel Challenge) and she asked me to run with her. I made it until mile 8 after she was having some troubles breathing and decided to walk the rest of it (we had been walking since mile 6) but it was far too cold for me to not run so she practically yelled at me to go off on my own which I did in the end. But I still feel bad about it. But we both finished and I'm so proud of her for tackling this weekend.

I'm the slow one, and I ran twice this year with faster people who slowed down for me. If it had gotten to a point where I truly needed to slow down, and if I told them to go ahead, if they wanted to go ahead I would want them to do so. In my case neither of them wanted to, so that wasn't their interest. My brother is tired of running alone so he stayed with me, and my friend wasn't trying for a goal at W&D so it was fine. But if I had told them to go and they wanted to go, going isn't bad.

She told you to go, so you're not a bad friend.

Is she OK? She worked out the breathing? I've forgotten my emergency inhaler (the only kind I use) for two cold Halfs now and found that this Run Pretty Far accessory, worn over my nose and mouth and neck, really helps with the cold air.

 

[Belle Ella]

She's OK, and she finished although she did have to walk the last few miles completely. She's never had a problem breathing during a run like this before, and has no history of asthma or anything like that at all. It wasn't fun watching her when it first happened. That's mostly why I felt guilty going on without her. But it all turned out alright in the end I suppose. I was wondering if it was just the cold air she was having trouble with - she's used to running in the cold (she's been training in DC), but she normally has . I'll have to pass the trail scarf along to her. Might be worth looking into.

 

[aquamindy]

Hi all--
I hope everyone had a great race. I did! I went into it knowing I wouldn't PR, was trying to enjoy the run, get some photos (wouldn't stop at the long lines) and have fun! I did all of those!

The 501st was AMAZING! And the sun rise over Cars Land took my breath away.

Would love to do it again, not sure it will fit in vacation days and travel budget. A girl can dream though.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

I got back late last night. I successfully completed the Rebel Challenge which was my only goal. My time for the 1/2 was my "slowest" ever, but I had more than ever before too.

Congrats to everyone who finished!!!

Hoping to write up a full race report in the next few days.

 

[kirstie101]

Hey everyone! Sounds like everyone had a great weekend! I'm happy to say it was great for me as well.

Expo - Kim was awesome and checked on a wine glass for me when she got there on Thursday. I'm bummed they didn't make them for this or Avengers. Thanks for checking Kim! I got to the expo right at 9:00 on Saturday and I expected lines for everything but no lines at all so that was nice. Got my bib, DD's kids race bib, pins, shirts and then headed to the official merch area which was busy but not packed. I bought the pink Rebel Challenge shirt and I have to confess that its the first time I've ever bought a race shirt! Loved it! I also forgot to wear a necklace when we left the house on Thursday so I bought the race necklace. I know it will tarnish quickly like my first Tink one did but I don't care. Overall I was very happy with the expo. Wish they made a wineglass.

Races - The 10K I stuck to my plan of walking it and that worked perfectly. I didn't stop for any character photos but did get some others like in front of the castle and then a selfie of with the storm troopers in front of the Innoventions building. Great race. Loved the course and the park time. The lines for characters were even worse than at Avengers though! DD did the kids race on Saturday. It was well organized and she had a blast. Love the medal the kids got! The Half was awesome! My IT band did better than I thought it would. The course was great. Loved all the park time and backstage time. Loved the bands and cosplayers out on the course. Enjoyed running through Garden Grove this time. Again didn't stop for any character pics due to the lines but did the castle pic and Mickeys fun wheel pic and selfies with Storm Troopers again. Finished about where I thought I could so I was very happy with that. My mom and kids were at the finish line waiting for me so it was perfect!

After the horrible mess that was Avengers, this was so refreshing. I actually cried running down Main Street and a few other times out on the course. It reminded me why I started running Disney in the first place. So glad I was able to be a part of it!

 

[Beamo2014]

Since this is over and there isnt a board for the Disneyland Half Marathon, could I ask a few questions as I prepare myself for that.

The whole time and being swept bit absolutely terrifies me....so my first question is how in the world do people wait for those character pictures, with the lines being what they are and not have their time go over and then get swept?

I ran the Avengers 5k with DD and we were in corral C (she's 7 and seriously drags me down timewise ) so by the time we got to the characters the lines were crazy. I just don't understand how that would work for the timed races, but people obviously appear to wait for them.

Also, if anyone attended the Wookie Welcome Party, could you tell me IYO, if it was worth it for the price. I had 3 kids run the Kids Races and they were so disappointed that none of the actual Disney characters were out. Just the Star Wars Rebels ones that my 1 year old didn't even recognize as characters . I wish we had attended the party now but for 5 of us it would have been a huge chunck of change.

 

[sunflare]

The whole time and being swept bit absolutely terrifies me....so my first question is how in the world do people wait for those character pictures, with the lines being what they are and not have their time go over and then get swept?

I can answer this one. I was at the mid to front of Corral B for the 10k, and decided to wait for the first few characters, including Chewbacca. The 16 minute pacer (the balloon lady) passed me as I was waiting for Chewie. By that time, I was near the front of the line, so I stayed and got my picture, and then hauled a** until I had passed the pacer by what I felt was a comfortable place. I took other pics after that, but did skip Vader and Boba Fett because I thought the lines were insane and thought they'd be out in the half, as well. I finished in 2 hours with an almost 19 minute final pace. However, the balloon lady never passed me again, so I was safe from getting swept. Just stay aahead of her, and you should be fine.

 

[RSWA2]

The whole time and being swept bit absolutely terrifies me....so my first question is how in the world do people wait for those character pictures, with the lines being what they are and not have their time go over and then get swept?

Well the pace time was 16 mins, but they are the last person in corral E. So if you are in one of the earlier corrals, you have plenty of buffer time. I was in the middle/front of corral D and my official start time wasn't until 6am, a full 30 mins. So there is plenty of time. Also it appears that they weren't 100% strict at picking you up at the 16 min pace. One of my friends said the pacers stopped at the Mile 12 marker and started to cheer people on and encouraging them. It tried to get the final time of the last person before the pacer crossed and it was almost 20 min/mile. That is a slow walking speed and if you are in an early corral or you run to the characters to wait in line, you'll make it.

Also, if anyone attended the Wookie Welcome Party, could you tell me IYO, if it was worth it for the price. I had 3 kids run the Kids Races and they were so disappointed that none of the actual Disney characters were out. Just the Star Wars Rebels ones that my 1 year old didn't even recognize as characters . I wish we had attended the party now but for 5 of us it would have been a huge chunck of change.

Wookie Welcome party was NOT worth it. It was short, 2 hours and the lines for the characters were 30+ mins long. Desserts were not good, even by the mediocre buffet desserts that Disney puts out at restaurants and other parties. I mean they were themed well, but the taste was barely ok. Also there wasn't much of a "WELCOME RUNNERS" MC, we stood in the line that was long, then we all walked through mainstreet to another line at Tomorrowland and at that point, we were all like ok so now what. Until we saw more lines at the characters. Poorly run, no one knew where to stand for characters and for desserts. Granted it's the first Star Wars one, but it wasn't the first special/after hours party.

 

[iheartglaciers]

Since this is over and there isnt a board for the Disneyland Half Marathon, could I ask a few questions as I prepare myself for that.

The whole time and being swept bit absolutely terrifies me....so my first question is how in the world do people wait for those character pictures, with the lines being what they are and not have their time go over and then get swept?

I ran the Avengers 5k with DD and we were in corral C (she's 7 and seriously drags me down timewise ) so by the time we got to the characters the lines were crazy. I just don't understand how that would work for the timed races, but people obviously appear to wait for them.

Also, if anyone attended the Wookie Welcome Party, could you tell me IYO, if it was worth it for the price. I had 3 kids run the Kids Races and they were so disappointed that none of the actual Disney characters were out. Just the Star Wars Rebels ones that my 1 year old didn't even recognize as characters . I wish we had attended the party now but for 5 of us it would have been a huge chunck of change.

If you're a decent runner, you'll be fine keeping ahead of the balloon lady with a few pictures. I started in the middle of Corral E (the last one) and stopped to take a picture with Chewie around mile 3. Since he was the first good character, the line was really, really long. I waited at least 30 mins, but maybe more. The balloon lady passed and the staff started threatening that we'd get swept. A bunch of people bailed from the line, I stayed and got a quick picture and sprinted. I passed the balloon lady not too far after and never saw her again. The rest of the lines for characters were pretty short. I waited on a very short line for Stormtroopers and for an unofficial C3PO on the streets. Then add in a few bathroom and stretch breaks along the way. I finished with a 2:49 time. I'm guessing my pace (without the breaks) was around 9-9:30 min mile.

A friend of mine who is not a strong runner finished 10 ft in front of the balloon lady and 3 mins over the official 3:30 max course time. She didn't stop for any photos.

As for the Wookie Welcome Party, it was definitely not worth the $99. I didn't see the entertainment, so I can't comment on that. But the dessert was limited (3 Star Wars themed desserts--Darth Vader cupcake, Wookie cookie, and a ball thing--the cookie was later replaced by a cheesecake). It was all you can eat, but I just expected more for the price. And then there were two rotating character photo spots. I waited 45 mins-1 hour for a photo with the droids, but they were rushing a bit and my photo didn't even come out that well.

There were 3-4 rides that you could go on, which was cool to go on them without lines. We did the Astro Blasters and Star Tours rides a couple times. I don't totally regret going. I was already at Disneyland that day and in the spirit of kicking off the weekend it was nice to have an event. But it really did feel like Run Disney was taking advantage of us with what they provided for $99/person!

 

[Beamo2014]

Thanks so much for all the info. I didn't even know about the balloon pacer person so I know what to expect now and I feel more confidant about future races.

It's too bad that the Wookie Party was not that great for the price, it sounded like something that had the potential to be epic...especially for the price!

 

[Eclectic Goddess]

Thanks for the Wookie Welcome Party reviews! We pondered going and decided that it was too late for us. I was mostly sad to miss out on the photo ops, but I'd have been mad to pay so much and wait so long for photos.

We stumbled upon the "runner's buffet" at Paradise Pier and were pleasantly surprised to find that they had Star Wars desserts, so that filled in well enough for us.


As for the balloon ladies, I heard that a LOT of people got swept during the half marathon. I wonder if that was because so many people were running their first, or because of too many photo stops?

 

[Belle Ella]

Since this is over and there isnt a board for the Disneyland Half Marathon, could I ask a few questions as I prepare myself for that.

Just got home from my weekend excursion - look for the Disneyland Half thread coming soon